Continuous Performance Improvement

CPI

Introduction to CPI

Performance is a measure of the results you have achieved. Typically, organizations care about key business outcomes like quality, profitability, and customer satisfaction. This list of strategically important business results may also include employee satisfaction (employee engagement), productivity, and cycle times for critical business processes. No matter what indicators are important to your organization, TSG can help you harness the power of the methods and tools of Continuous Performance Improvement to drive significant and sustainable improvements in your strategically important business outcomes.

Continuous Performance Improvement advocates the formation and use of organization wide initiatives to change the way people work in order to achieve higher levels of performance. Why is this so important? Because:

"Insanity is doing the same thing over
and over again and expecting a different result"

TSG consultants can quickly diagnosing the "insanity" in your organization. Once the facts are understood, we are able to recommend a program of specific, credible steps you can take to optimize performance on your most critical business outcomes.

Our solutions have been proven to positively impact results at all levels in your organization: the individual level, the team level, the department/function level, and at the organizational level itself. Evolving from over 20 years of experience in total quality management in Fortune 500 companies, The Strafford Group offers several types of strategic initiatives designed to maximize performance and achieve your key business outcomes.

Lean

Lean Improvement

Lean is both a philosophy and long-term initiative that enables any organization to deliver increasing value to its customers. The Lean approach focuses people and systems on the challenge of eliminating waste and defects in order to deliver a continuous stream of value to the customer. To be consistently effective, Lean Improvement methods should be practiced every day at all levels of the organization.

Lean Improvement methods were first developed over 50 years ago from innovations in customer focus and organizing work processes at Toyota Motor Corporation. Known as the Toyota Production System (TPS), the philosophy, methods and tools have evolved into the practice we now call Lean Improvement.

The fundamental principles and practices of Lean Improvement are used by businesses and organizations of all types to create and sustain a culture of continuous improvement. In short, Lean is now established as the most consistently successful way to organize and operate any enterprise.

To achieve the goals of Lean Improvement, you must examine every critical process to ensure that:

All activities are value added

Waste has been eliminated

Lead times and cycle times are optimal

Defects and errors are reduced to appropriate levels

Customers are increasingly satisfied with your products and services

Every organization can use Lean Improvement methods and tools to make significant improvements that will have measurable impact on both customers and the bottom line.

BPI

Business Process Improvement

Business process improvement (BPI) is a systematic approach to help an organization optimize its underlying processes to achieve more efficient and effective results. The goal of BPI is to achieve rapid and sustainable improvement in the work processes deliver value to customers and support the internal functions of the organization. BPI attempts to reduce variation and/or waste in processes, so that the desired outcome can be achieved with greater speed, less cost, and improved quality.

To ensure the success of a business process improvement initiative several important roles must be filled by the various levels of management. Senior managers are typically responsible for identifying the key processes to be targeted for improvement. Middle managers usually make up the BPI project team and represent various functions or departments so the process can be worked end-to-end. Supervisors and employees may be added to the project team to provide detailed information about the critical tasks and activities found inside the process and to develop a sense of ownership for the changes or improvements to the process that the BPI team recommends. The BPI methodology typically includes:

selecting the key processes that enable the achievement of the organization's strategic goals and objectives

identifying the project team

writing a charter outlining the goals, objectives, and boundaries for the BPI effort
agreeing on measures of success

designating some period of time for the implementation of the changes and recommendations made by the BPI team.

The consultants at TSG can help you identify and improve the key processes in your business so you can achieve your objectives, "better, faster, cheaper."

Customer Service

Customer Service

The most important management fundamental being ignored today is customer service. The impact on your business can be devastating. Whether your business is product or service related, the time and money you put into customer service excellence will literally pay for itself. Don't roll the dice when it comes to your customers!

Consider the facts: A recent customer service survey found that U.S. consumers will withstand a maximum of only two negative customer service experiences before taking their business elsewhere.

The national survey, which queried 1000 consumers about recent experiences in the banking, cable, retail, and telecommunications industries, shows that consumers hold companies accountable for poor customer service. Consumers are telling service providers that "they will not take it anymore" and will change providers if treated with anything but superior service. More than 80 percent of consumers polled would rather visit the dentist, pay their taxes, or sit in a traffic jam than deal with an unhelpful customer service representative! 85 percent of consumers reported that having negative customer service experiences will drive them to switch providers.

Take a look at the figures. In any given business, there are five reasons why customers leave:

Sixty-eight percent "feel you don't care,"

19% are "dissatisfied with the service,"

9% leave for a "better price or feature,"

3% "move away," and

1% "die."

Additional key findings include:

75 percent said that they will tell friends and family about negative experiences.

Consumers believe that the loss of business is the biggest motivator for companies to improve their customer service.

Based on these survey results, it is imperative that all organizations, for-profit---or not, recognize the importance of providing high quality customer service.

Customer Service, Loyalty and Results

Providing excellent customer service drives the attainment of key business outcomes like productivity and profitability. See what investing in TSGs Exceptional Customer Service workshop can do for your business:

Satisfied Customers

The first benefit of customer service is obtaining customer satisfaction. Happy customers become repeat customers.

Repeat Customers

A key indicator of quality customer service is customer loyalty. Customer loyalty means you get repeat business from a customer and this type of behavior occurs when a product or service is consistent in what it's supposed to do. The result can be a steady revenue stream. A study by US News and World Report reports 68% of why customers leave a product or service for a competitor is because of a bad experience. If a repeat customer is consistently satisfied about the service provided, he will be inclined to remain a customer.

Less Costs Needed to Attract New Customers

Quality customer service relieves pressure on you to attract new customers. Statistics show that it costs more to gain new customers that it is to retain existing ones. The benefits of customer service excellence come into play here. A thorough customer service program will help you maintain an existing customer base rather than continual lose a percentage of it that has to be replenished frequently.

Competitive Edge

If your organization out-performs your competitors in customer service, most likely, your organization will be one of the leaders in your industry. Interestingly, if a company offers a product or service at a higher price than a competitor, it doesn't necessarily mean the more expensive competitor will lose its customer base. According to Accenture's 4th Annual Study on Customer Service for the United States, 73% report they left a service provider because of poor customer service, versus only 47% who left because of a lower price!

Promotes Customer Service Employee Retention

Customer service representatives who understand they are the face of the company will help them communicate with customers on the other side of the phone. Proper training in handling phone calls and trouble-shooting issues can promote job satisfaction, which translates into longer employee retention.

TSG's Exceptional Customer Service is an action-learning workshop designed to give anyone who has customer contact responsibilities the ability to deliver outstanding service—each and every time they interact with one of your customers. Contact us today so we can show you how your business could benefit from our workshop and consultation services in delivering Exceptional Customer Service throughout your organization.